A family of three were led to safety by firemen after being trapped by smoke in their home after a suspected arson attack on a neighbour's flat.

Choking smoke from a fierce blaze below their first-floor home forced the pregnant woman, her partner and a five-year-old boy to stay inside while firefighters tackled the incident.

Fire crews from Chopwell, Gateshead and Newcastle were called to the blaze in a ground-floor flat in Fontwell Drive, Bensham, around 5.20pm yesterday. The three were taken to hospital in Gateshead for check-ups.